Top 9 Super Immune Boosting Breakfasts

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s possible to kick up the immune-boosting power of this daily meal to make it even more valuable against any cold and flu viruses going around.

Before I share my picks for the top 9 immune-boosting breakfasts, it is important to consider that what you eat is as important as what you don’t eat. Skip the sugary donut, Danish, or breakfast cereals. Even a small amount of sugar can depress your immune system between 4 and 6 hours. So regardless of which breakfast you choose, keep it low in sugars of all kinds—refined or so-called “healthy” sweeteners since they all have the same immune-lowering effect.

Enjoy a Spanish omelette or Spanish Tofu Scramble containing onions, garlic, tomatoes, and red peppers.  This simple meal is loaded with vitamin C (tomatoes and red pepper), the antiviral phytonutrient allicin (garlic and onions).  A touch of turmeric gives tofu a brilliant yellow color and adds an anti-inflammatory punch to any viruses you may have been in contact with.

Start with a glass of water with lemon, lime, or grapefruit juice, all of which are high in immune-boosting vitamin C and the antiviral phytonutrients called terpene limonoids, that help give cold a flu viruses the boot.

Go Granola. Make a simple immune-boosting granola from gluten-free oats, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, chopped almonds, a touch of honey or pure maple syrup (just a bit), and a little coconut oil or olive oil.  Mix together and bake at 300 until lightly browned (about 10-20 minutes). Store. Top with immune-boosting, Omega-3-rich flax seeds and pumpkin seeds and almond milk. These essential fats are needed for a properly-functioning immune system. Pumpkin seeds add a hefty dose of zinc, which is also critical for immune health.

Savor a Sweet Potato Hash with sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, red peppers, and beta-carotene and vitamin B6-containing kale. Sweet potatoes contain vitamin B6, which is an important immune-system strengthener, along with beta carotene, the precursor of immune-building vitamin A, and even a vegetarian source of vitamin D, which reduces the risk of catching a cold or flu and speeds recovery.

Go for a Side of Grapefruit since this fruit is packed with vitamin C and and anti-flu phytonutrients known as terpene limonoids.  These compounds are naturally anti-viral, giving the immune system the help it needs to fight off infection.

Brown Rice with Almond Milk and Cinnamon.  Brown rice is a good source of vitamin B6 which protects the lungs against invaders.  Brown rice also contains the potent antioxidants vitamin E and zinc—the latter of which reduces the duration of colds by about 36 hours, according to recent research published in Reuters.  Zinc was particularly effective against the rhinovirus (linked to colds).

Cooked Quinoa with Apples—Protein-rich quinoa doesn’t need to be reserved for lunch or dinner.  Give it a breakfast twist by adding chopped apple during the cooking process.  Sufficient protein is needed to make immune system cells.

Green Tea—There are dozens of reasons to drink green tea, but during the colder seasons there are even more.  According to research in the Journal of Applied Oral Science, green tea kills some forms of strep infections.  Finish off your immune-boosting breakfast with a hot cup of green tea sweetened with the herb stevia (to avoid immune crashes linked to sugar).